Role Model
by himawarixxsandz
Summary: have you ever noticed that ashura was probably fai's everything? like...just read and review! i think this is my best one so far...spoilers for celes arc
1. Father

When Fai first came to Celes, Ashura was his father.

He was the first person who had ever treated Fai his age. For no matter what horrors a child had been through, the child was still just that—a child.

A small pale boy sat on the bed, his corn-silk hair cleaned of blood, and his eyes—too light to be sapphire, but to beautiful to just be plain blue—devoid of emotion. Shocked. Disbelieving.

The canopy of gauze surrounding the bed shut him out from the rest of the regal room. There was a knock on the door. Fai looked up at the noise, but for a minute, he didn't know what to do. He, then, remembered that when someone knocked, you were supposed to invite him or her in. He'd grown so used to people simply barging in with their spears in angry rants.

"Come…" Fai's hooded eyes lowered. "Come…oh…come in…" His voice was so pitifully soft, he didn't think the man outside the door could hear him. But he didn't know how to make it any louder. Someone might scold him and slap him again for causing a disturbance if it was.

The first thing that registered in Fai's line of vision were the eyes. Charcoal, but so warm—so kind…and gentle. Never had he seen such gentle eyes.

The next feature was his hair. It was everything Fai's wasn't. It wasn't flyaway and light, but dark and straight—although, it was as airy as Fai's was.

"How are we faring?" Ashura asked, smiling, his voice as careful and soft as Fai's was.

Fai looked dazedly at the man—at his king. "It hurts," he said simply, nearly a whisper.

His new king took a seat on the bed. It seemed absurd that such an intimidating being was comforting Fai—the most pathetic of all humans…if he was even a human. "I know." Fai didn't think Ashura knew at all. "I understand it hurts." Fai was sure Ashura couldn't understand. "And I'm sorry."

Fai's eyes widened at that. The first sign of life he'd shown since he'd sobbed and taken his twin's name.

He was pretty sure Ashura was sorry, even though at what, he didn't know.

"You…sorry…you don't…you don't have to…be…?" Fai tried the words out. His fazed, unfocused eyes found Ashura's clear, piercing ones.

And as shocking as it was, Fai found himself embraced by arms much larger and safer than his own. Safer than he'd ever felt. "I know I don't. But I'm sorry regardless."


	2. Mentor

When Fai was a boy, Ashura was his mentor.

Ashura was brilliant, that much Fai could appreciate. The king had to have strength unparalleled, after all.

"This is a lot, my king," Fai murmured, running his small, white hand down the spine of a book nearly as large as his torso. "Is it all for me?"

Ashura swept a hand out, gesturing towards the cavernous expanses of the palace library. The shelves towered to the ceiling, and when one walked down the aisles, they seemed never-ending. "To me, there is no such thing as knowing too much. I find that reading relaxes me. Takes me away. Perhaps you'll find it captivating, too?" He smiled.

And when Ashura smiled like that, there was nothing Fai could disagree about. "I know I will," Fai said. He wished he could smile like Ashura. Instead, all he could do was tilt his head and lower his eyelids. It was ethereal, yes, but not warm.

Fai hugged the book to his chest.

Ashura looked amused, placing his hand on the boy's head, and kneeling down until he was level with the boy. "Or perhaps you wish to read together? The library does get cold at night, and your room would be warmer. I could have some of my personal books stored there for you. Would you like that?"

Fai blinked, surprised. "Oh…your books?" he held the book even tighter to his body. "Yes."

"Well and good."

If one spent a considerable portion of their childhood in a pit of corpses, this didn't leave one with very much self-discovery. But now, Fai had all the time in the world, and what did he discover?

He was very much a scholar.

Fai had only said he knew he would love books to please Ashura, but it turned out that books also pleased Fai. Especially ones about magic. Healing magic, at least. But all Fai could do was destroy.

Of course, that was all he could do. It was fitting.

And even if Ashura couldn't teach Fai healing magic no matter how brilliant the king was, there was one thing Ashura did teach Fai that more than made up for the healing inability.

Ashura taught Fai how to smile.


	3. Brother

When Fai was growing, Ashura was his brother.

Fai had mastered his spells. Now what he needed to do was practice. But he was growing, that was inevitable. He no longer needed a father or a mentor. He needed a friend.

Delicate figures of light followed his fingertips, swirling around him in a torrent. His pale hand twitched, and the signs aligned, sending the water up in a magnificent heave, ricocheting into the wide basin.

Ashura clapped his hands slowly. He smiled, and now, Fai could smile back. "Brilliant," his king rewarded him. "Although…I'm curious as to know why you suddenly felt the urge to construct a pool."

"The lakes are always frozen," the boy explained. His voice was beginning to sound different, reflected Ashura—more like a man's. "I sometimes hear about magic while one is in the water, and I've never swam before."

"You wish to learn?" Ashura asked, raising his eyebrows.

Fai shrugged, grinning. "I could always teach myself. You've taught me everything, already, my king."

Ashura tilted his head, appearing to consider the boy/man. "Remove your clothes, save for your trousers. This will be a bit wet."

It was hard to mask the delight on Fai's face. He shrugged off his coat, his undercoat, and pulled up his shirt. He turned around, and Ashura was also shirtless.

The room suddenly seemed to lack oxygen. Either that, or Fai's lungs had abruptly lost the capacity to function properly. His eyes must be defected, too, for all he could stare at was the bare area of Ashura's pale chest—taut muscles, long arms and all. And since Fai had never seen Ashura remove his cloak, Fai's eyes couldn't help falling downstairs on the king.

Fai blinked and covered his disconcerting observation with a smile. He wished he could hide the strange occurrence south in his own body with a smile, as well.

"Shall we swim? Or would you rather stand there for the rest of the afternoon?" Ashura laughed, before gracefully diving in. Fai smiled, and dove in after his king.

The palace servants found themselves getting through the day's chores while listening to the background myriad of boyish laughing, water splashing, and plenty of teasing. The sounds came from the main foyer, and it sounded utterly like the king and his court magician.

Following the swimming escapades, Celes's stars looked down on Fai, lying beside the edge of the pool, wet, disheveled, but euphoric. Ashura sat with his legs still partially into the water, calmer than the boy, but also wet. "You learn fast," the king said.

"You swim fast," Fai said. "But I nearly managed to defeat you."

"Mmm, did you know?" Ashura mused. Fai smiled up at his king, his father, his mentor, and now his brother.

"Of course I did."


	4. Lover

When Fai was a man, Ashura was his lover.

It was to be expected, really. He'd grown up with Ashura; he'd loved him as a father, a mentor, and a brother. Falling _in_ love with him would complete the list.

And plus, Fai just couldn't help it.

Ashura sat at his throne, musing about how close the time was coming; the time when Fai must leave—when Fai must kill him. It was one thing even the boy—well, really, Ashura shouldn't be calling Fai by that anymore, he was a young man, now—himself didn't even know.

He wondered why it kept slipping his mind that Fai was very much a beautiful young man, and not a lovely little boy.

There was a lenient knock on one of the double doors. "Your entrance is graced," Ashura called out, his voice echoing slightly—the throne room was enormous.

The doors parted, revealing the masterpiece—the final result, after so many rough drafts—of Ashura's work.

The king of Celes had never been more proud. With every step Fai took, his blond hair floated, with every look he gave his blue eyes smoldered, and his lashes lowered. His smile was the only problem, but even the greatest works of art have their flaws.

All boys had their awkward phases—limbs too big, skin blemishes, disproportioned features. All boys except for Fai, that is.

His skin was as fair as it was when he was a child, his limbs were nothing but elegant and slender, and his features were as disproportioned as a seraph's.

"Good evening, my king," Fai smiled, kneeling before Ashura, and slipping his hand upon the majesty's knee. Ashura touched the edges of the corn silk that was Fai's hair, and fingered the strands possessively.

"Is it?" Ashura murmured.

"Is what, my king?" Fai said, smiling, but looking a little confused. He leaned in to the king's touch. Ashura lowered his fingers so that they brushed against Fai's throat.

Fai's hand, the one resting on Ashura's knee, rode up until it was against the inside of the king's thigh. "Is it truly a good evening?" Ashura confirmed.

Now Fai was completely confused. "I…suppose it is." He covered the bewilderment with a smile swiftly. "Did my king have anything in mind for tonight?"

If Ashura's smile were any wider, his face would have surely split in half. "I did, in fact." He leaned in towards Fai, until his lips could ghost over the magician's, tongue gliding over the lower lip. "What would you say to losing your innocence tonight, Fai?"

Fai's confusion vanished faster than it had arisen. "My innocence?" He didn't need to question anymore, but he thought he might as well draw it out.

"To me," Ashura's fingers traced Fai's lips. "Lose it to me?"

Fai let out an eerie laugh. "I have no more innocence, my king. I'd lost it before you'd even found me. A man who has killed his brother has no more innocence."

Ashura knew he would probably need a replacement head after this—his smile was much too wide to fit the frame of his face. "There are different kinds of innocence."

"Then I'd verily much like to lose whatever innocence I have left." Fai added, "That is…if I may lose it to you, my king."

No. Ashura didn't want to hear any of that tonight. He wanted to hear Fai scream his name. "Ashura. Tonight, as your king, I command you: I am Ashura."

"Well," Fai grinned. "To your bedroom or mine, Ashura?"

By the time they'd gotten to Ashura's bedroom, it was fast and furious. There were no gentle touches, regardless if it was Fai's first time or not. Ashura wanted to hear the young man scream and gasp and beg for more.

He knew Fai was capable of it.

The door slammed shut.

Ashura pulled his mouth away from Fai's and went to sit on the bed. "Undress," he commanded the magician, with a smile.

Also smiling, Fai faced his king and obeyed. His hands went to the fastenings of his undercoat, undoing them one by one. He pulled the sash over his head and let it drop to the floor. Fai tossed the coat onto a nearby chair.

He peeled off his gloves, and allowed them to be thrown to the side, as well. He shed his boots and threw them to the door. Ashura cocked his head and smiled, watching how much Fai's body had changed over the years—from androgynous and childlike, to slender and wiry. Beautiful.

Fai was down to his trousers now. His eyes were still as serene as ever, smiling at Ashura as though Fai were doing nothing more than serving him tea. Once the trousers dropped, Ashura halted Fai's hand with his own, and pulled him to the bed.

It was Ashura's turn to disrobe.

Fai's eyes followed Ashura's hands, how his fingers seemed to make the simple act of undoing a fastening wholly mesmerizing. Fai was tantalized how Ashura formed the very action of undressing into a sensual art. It wasn't overly seductive, or vulgar.

It was just so casual, that it was seductive.

For example, the way Ashura removed his undershirt. His white fingers touched the first button infinitesimally. The fingers on his other hand touched the few buttons below that. Ashura then moved them away as if hesitating, hovering just a millimeter above his shirt. He moved that same hand to his lips, fingertips pressing ever so slightly against his mouth, while the other hand undid one button slowly—temptingly so.

Fai felt as though that throbbing part of him down south would combust before Ashura was done shedding his clothes.

Once Ashura had returned to Fai's side on the bed, the king's hand ran up his magician's side. Ashura allowed his lips to linger just above the base of Fai's throat, tipping Fai's head up.

"I love you," Fai whispered.

"I want you," Ashura replied.


End file.
